Acetylene cutting torch and guide



Sept. 27, 1949. J. a. MINER ACETYLENE CUTTING TORCH AND GUIDE 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 5, 1947 wmzwl R B 0 m m R M W E m I N T N I AI M B S E M A m mmzoc N vm w mm mm mm om w .9 2 Y F:l||c\11|| l! I'll EO K mm mm H o ww mmDw m P 1949- J. B. MINER I 2,483,294

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Am'mi I N VEN TOR.

JAMES B. MINER ATTD RN EYE Sept. 27, 1949. J. B. MINER 2,483,294

ACETYLENE CUTTING TORCH AND GUIDE 5 JAMES B MINER ATTD R N EYB PatentedSept. 27, 1949 ACETYLENE CUTTING TORCH AND'GUIDE James B. Miner,Portland, Oreg. Application March 5, 1347, Serial No. 732,583

This invention appertains to improvements in acetylene cutting torches,and has for its primary object to widen the scope of usefulness of thepresent style of hand-cutting torches, by means of certain structuraladditions and refinements, which permit of the accurate cutting ofbevels generally and radial bevels in particular, without resort to agrinding operation, as ordinarily is required to bring such bevelformations to a desired finish.

n Thus, this improved torch structure has the advantage that it producesa radial bevel accurately in a single cutting operation, whereas,ordinarily, to out such a bevel, three separate operations are required,first, a circle is cut at right angles to the plate; second, the bevelis roughly formed along .the edgeof the cut; and, third, the roughlybev'- eled edge is subjected to a grinding operation to bring the bevelto an accurate finish.

. with the foregoing and other objects and advantages in equalimportance in view, the invention resides in the certain new anduseful'combination, construction, and arrangement of parts,

as will be hereinafter more fully described, set

forth in the appended claim, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved cutting torch, in accordancewith the invention; the tubes being removedahead of the couplings tobetter show the structural features of the upper side of the torch headassembly; I

Figure 2 is a side elevation, showing the torch assembly set up formaking a circular cut;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, ,bottom plan view, of the torch head and theguide assembly therefor;

Figure 4 a. transverse, vertical section, taken through the line 4- 4 onFigure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the main sup-- porting-armperse;, 1

Figure, 6 is an-enlarged, fragmentary, side elevation,- partly insection, of the torch head and guide assembly,=and showing the rangeofadjustment of the torchhead relatively .to the guide assembly and,also, the positions :of adjustment of the gauge wheel assembly toreverse the angles ofbevelcuts; 1 1 V Figure? is a perspective viewrofthe indicator plate per se; and, i

Figure 8 isan enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view, showing the clampmeans-for securing the main supporting arm tothe operating handle.ofthetorch; 0

1 Claim. (CI. 266-23) Referring to the drawings, wherein like charactersof reference denote" corresponding parts throughout the several views,the invention, as it is exemplified therein, is comprised in a t ')r :hhead l0, having a'tipflll at its lower end and fuel supply tubeconnections-I4, l6, and, at

its upper end. Projecting'fro'm opposite sides of v the torch head lllisa pair of has 120, preferably circular in cross-section, which seatinfbearing '10 boxes 26 and are secured therein by screw clamps,

each of which is comprised in asocket-head screw 22 carrying asemi-circular'shim 24' engaged over the upper side of a respective lug."The, bearing boxes 26 are formed on the inner side of a main 16'supporting ring '28, which is outwardly flanged,

as at 30, to engage beneath a guide ring 32, and screw threaded at itsupper vend to' receive ,a knurled ring, nut 34, asufiicient'clearancebeing provided between the ring 28 andring "to permit of substantiallyfree rotation" of the main supporting ring. together with thetorch-head. l0, relatively to the'guide ring. [The guide ring I! 'isrigidly secured, as by screws", 36,.to'one end of a main supporting arm38', which has its other end secured to the forward enact a handlebetween clamp plates 40, 'fastened'together by bolts 42, the clampplates being engaged'over fuel outlet connections 44, 46, and 48 (Figure'8), which are provided with couplings 50, 52, and 54, respectivelyconnected to fuel supply tubesflii, 58,,and

60, leading to the like couplings of the inlet connections i4, i6, andI8, o'fthe torch-head l0. Mounted on the lower side 'off the mainsupporting. ring 28, is an arm62, which hasa downwardly opening socket64 at one of its ends to receive the upper end of an angled. bracket 66,held in" place by a socket head'screw' 68; Jour- 66, is agauge wheel'lllgsecuredthereon by a nut 12." The arm 62 is provided witha lug 14 onits upper side, in line withfthe vertical axis'of the socket '64; whichengages in a recess formed in .thelower side of 1 the mainsupportingring' fl Ito'set the gauge-wheeldu atone of'the bevel cuttingPositions or the torch-{head m; the arm being swing-able to the oppositeside of the latter to engage the lug-l4 'in ;a' second recess, indicatedat '16, to set the gauge wheel at 'a position to reverse thecutting'angle, awinged nut" being provided {on the pivot to hold the armsecure in either of its positions ofjuse. Mounted I on the outer side ofthe-main supporting ring 2a, is a laterally opening socket all," whichas its poi-e screw threaded 'to receivefa complementally nalled 'on thelower angled, end oflthe bracket screw threaded end of a rod 82, theconnected end of which is secured by a nut 84. Adjustably supported onthe rod 82, is a slide block 88 to support an angled pivot element 88,the block being provided with a winged set screw 90 for its securementto the rod as required and a second winged set screw 82 to secure thepivot element in place. A second slide block 84 is also provided and hasa winged set screw 08 for its securement in adjusted position on the rod82 and a second winged-set screw 88 to secure a gauge key I inadjustable position on the rod and relatively to the slide block 88, therod having a groove I02 extending for a major portion of the length ofits under side, inward from its free end, the rod being square incross-section.

The operating handle of the torch-head assembly, as it is thusconstructed and arranged, is comprised in a shell I 04, having a frontend butt I08 and a rear end butt I08. Screwed into the rear end butt I08are inlet connections H0 and H2, respectively for an oxygen and anacetylene supply line (not shown). An acetylene control valve H4 isscrew threaded through the shell and into the butt I08? and by removingit and the connections IIO, lI2, the shell I04 may be removed. Withinthe shell I04, a tube IIB extends therethrough from the connection IIOto a cutting valve II8, while a branch tube I20 connects the tube IIGwith an oxygen flame control valve I22, and a tube I24 leads from theacetylene control valve H4 and connects withthe central outletconnection 48, which, together with the outlet connections 44 and 48,are carried at the front end butt I06, the latter also supporting thevalves II8, I22, at the forward end of the shell I 04.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the lugs 20 function astrunnions for the angular adjustment of the torch-head I0 in oppositedirections from the vertical; the screws 22 being loosened for thepurpose. As indicated in Figure 6, the torch-head I0 has a ninety degreerange of adjustment, 1. e., forty-five degrees toward and forty-fivedegrees away from the pivot element 88, and its angular adjustment is tobe accurately determined by reference to an index I28 in cooperationwith a graduated indicator plate I28, which is secured to the torch-headby means of one of the socket-head screws 22.

In a preferred makeup and operation of the cutting torch, the torch-headguiding assembly will comprise a 6% inch, cold rolled, steel rod 82, oran inch square, and grooved inches from its free threaded end; thesliding block 88; the locking block 84; and the gauge key I00, thelatter being 5; x x 2% inches. Now, to cut a round plate 5% inches indiameter, the point of the pivot element 88 will be adjusted. by theproper setting of the slide block 88 on the rod 82 and of the gauge keyI00 in the groove I02, to a distance 35'; inches from the center of thetip I2. With the plate heated to a desired degree, the cut is to bestarted directly toward the point of the pivot element 88 until theslide block 86 contacts the shoulder at the end of the gauge key I00,and is initiated after the handle I04 has been lowered enough to clearthe gauge wheel from contact with the plate. Following the contact ofthe gauge key I00 by the slide block 86, the circular cut is to be madewith just enough inward pressure to keep the block against the shoulderof the gauge key. In this manner, the starting point of the cut on theround plate is undetectable. However, when a round hole,

straight or beveled, is to be cut, the starting point of cut is just theopposite, i. e., with the block 88 in contact with the shoulder of thegauge key I00 and the torch tip movement outward from the point of thepivot element 88. In any case, the degree of torch travel is governed bythe adjustment of the gauge key I00 in the gauge block 84, such beingdesirable to increase when cutting heavy plate metal.

In setting the torch up to make a circular cut. a slight depression ismade in the surface of the metal plate to be cut to seat the point ofthe pivot element 88. The tip clearance from the surface of the workplate is governed by the raising and lowering of the gauge wheel I0, theset screw 88 being loosened and tightened for the purpose. FOr generalshop use of the torch, the guide assembly can be dispensed with byremoving the rod 82 with its attached parts and also the tip gaugeassembly by removing the winged set screw I8 and tightening up on awinged set screw I30, the latter locking the guide ring 82 between theflange 30, or the main supporting ring 28, and the ring nut 34. Theacetylene control valve I I4 is removable by unscrewing in order to beserviced, either by replacement in its entirety, or for the renewal ofits valve element, while the oxygen and flame control valves H8 and I22,as best shown in Figure 4, are preferably arranged in unit assembly bybeing mounted on a substantially circular casting I30, which seats in anannular recess, formed in the handle shell I04, and is clamped in placeby a screw I82. Ordinarily, in the case oi standard torches, thesevalves are silver soldered to the tubes within the handle structure and,hence, for the renewal or replacement thereof, 'the handle structuremust be dismantled and, to all intents and purposes,

rebuilt.

Having thus fully described my invention in a preferred embodiment andin structural and functional detail. it is to be understood that thewords which I have used are words of description rather than oflimitation, and that changes within the purview of the appended claimmay be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of myinvention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

In an acetylene cutting torch, including a tip and an operating handle,an arm projecting from the forward end of said handle, an annular membercarried at the forward end of said arm, a second annular memberrotatably supported in the first named annular member, bearings carriedby said second annular member, a, torchhead, trunnions carried by saidtorch-head engaged in said bearings, clamp means engageable with saidtrunnions to secure said torch-head in any one of its positions ofangular adjustment, a gauge member supported from the lower side of saidsecond annular member and adapted for contact with and verticaladjustment relatively to the work, said gauge member having the form ofa vertically adjustable bracket and a work contact wheel at the lowerend of the bracket, an arm pivotally supported on the under side of saidsecond annular member and carrying said bracket. said arm being movablefrom one side of said second annular member to the opposite side thereofto eiiect a change of position of the gauge member, means for securingthe arm in either of its set positions, a rod extending horizontallyfrom said second annular member below said arm, a pivot supported fromsaid rod and engageable with the work, said rod being movable endwlserelatively to said pivot, and an adjustable member mounted on said rodto limit the workin; movement or said torch-head relatively to saidpivot.

JAMES B. MINER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Cloud Sept. 15, 1925Cullen et a1 Sept. 18, 1928 Ingwersen Aug. 22, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date Germany June 39, 1930

